The Weight of the World
by laurah2215
Summary: Pairing: CJ/Danny; Series: The Unplanned Blessing; Story #1;Abbey and Noah get life-altering news
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Weight of the World

Title: The Weight of the World  
Series: The Unplanned Blessing  
Author: Laura H  
Rating: Teen to Adult. Forewarning: There will be discussion-not  
description- of consensual teenage pre-marital sex. Please don't read  
if you feel you will be offended in any way.  
Disclaimer: We've been doing this long enough that you know I'm not  
making a penny.  
Synopsis: An unexpected surprise will have to be dealt with that will  
change the lives of all the Concannon's forever.  
Notes: All right, so this needs a little introduction. Without giving  
the entire plot away, let's suffice it to say that this series  
branches off my series " The Concannon's, Present, Past and Future" in  
around 2025. If you read the stories " Hardest Conversation Ever" and  
"Letting Go", you'll be caught up to speed. So let's assume that the  
stories taking place before this in "The Concannon's" are part of this  
series in that they provide the back ground. But this series will veer  
off the road and take the Concannon family in a vastly different  
direction than " The Concannon's Series" and all the stories in this  
series will be unique to it and create an alternative universe, if you  
will. Hope you enjoy. As always, feed back is greatly appreciated.  
Timeline:  
March 2025: Story 1- The Weight of the World

Part 1  
"How about I make you some dry toast?" CJ Cregg-Concannon  
suggests to her seventeen year-old daughter, scooping eggs from the  
frying pan onto her almost sixteen year-old son's plate at the  
breakfast table.  
"No thanks. I really can't eat this morning." Abigail  
Cregg-Concannon swallows back a gag reflex as she sips her glass of  
orange juice. Her stomach, without fail, always turns into a pit of  
mushy nerves every time she has a big trigonometry class. She'll be  
grateful come September when she'll be studying at Georgetown and can  
abandon mathematics completely.  
"Well make sure you have a snack after math class then. You  
won't be able to concentrate all morning if you don't eat breakfast,"  
Danny Concannon tells his daughter, dropping a piece of whole grain  
toast on his plate, his wife's and his son's.  
With an eye roll, Abbey walks her glass to the sink and disposes  
of the remaining juice. "Thanks. I've been getting that for years from  
you, my gymnastics coach, my basketball coach and my teachers. I know  
the value of a healthy breakfast. I'm gonna head out. Josh is giving  
us a ride this morning."

"Okay, sweetheart. Good luck on your test," CJ calls between  
bites of egg as Abbey grabs her backpack off the kitchen floor and  
heads down the street to their neighbour's house to catch a ride to  
school with her boyfriend and his father.

•  
"What did you think of that?" Noah Lyman inquires of his girlfriend as  
they exit Mrs. Holbrooke's math class.

"I think I was grossly unprepared for question ten," Abbey  
practically spits, her head hanging with a pounding stress headache.

"Just question ten?" Noah lets out a laugh. "I didn't even  
attempt eleven through fourteen. This is really Ella's fault. She  
totally didn't help us enough."

Abbey can't help but laugh and roll her eyes as they approach her  
locker. " Noah, we shouldn't have relied on your tenth-grader sister  
to tutor us in trig. We should have spent more time with Mackie and  
Charing at study group."

Noah shrugs as he leans against the locker next to Abbey's as she  
exchanges her textbooks and binders for the next class. "It's only  
fair. She never would have passed American Lit without me. Anyway,  
just shake it off. It's only one test. This is the last math credit  
we'll need and come September we'll be able to take classes more  
suited to our academic strengths."

"Yeah, you're right. We just need to avoid drastically lowering  
our averages so much that the colleges will drop us. Anyway, I gotta  
get to European History. "Slamming her locker, Abbey tries not to  
dwell on the very real possibility that she almost failed her test.

"Okay. I'll walk you. We meeting at lunch?" Noah takes Abbey's  
books from her arms and begins to follow her down the hall.

"No, Briar and are working on our media studies presentation."  
Abbey navigates their course through the bustling hallway.

"What about after school? I got basketball til 4:30 but then we  
can walk home." Outside the door to the classroom for Abbey's next  
class, Noah shifts the books in his arms into Abbey's arms.

"Gymnastics til five like normal on Tuesdays. But if you wanna  
stick around til then…"

"Sounds good. I can chill outside with Hayden after practice. And  
hey, seriously, don't worry about the test. You'll be fine. Try to  
relax and find some time to take a break today. " Noah notices Abbey's  
heavy eyelids and hallow cheeks and recognizes that she didn't get  
enough sleep last night and probably skipped breakfast. "Come here,"  
Noah draws Abbey in for a quick kiss.  
"Okay. I'll relax at the end of June when I can spend the summer  
just working at my mom's office, hanging out with friends, reading and  
prepping for starting college." Abbey appreciates Noah being as big of  
a nerd as her in that he can totally relate to her high expectations  
of herself for school, but she thinks Noah is more naturally gifted  
academically than she is and can, consequently, down-play the  
importance of mediocre grades in courses they don't like. Math is the  
only subject Noah's ever really needed to study hard in, so he has the  
fortune of being able to devote a little more of his time to sports,  
pleasure-reading (he's read all the books, really)and friends. And  
while she's a talented writer, history trivia tycoon and competent  
physicist, she does stress more about school than him.

"Abs, you gotta be careful not to burn out. Let me know if you want me  
to look over your politics essay draft tonight. But I better get to  
class. I'll text you at lunch. Love you." Noah pecks her lips one more  
time and affectionately squeezes her elbow.

"Love you, too," Abbey whispers back as Noah jets down the hall.

"Hey, son. Your girlfriend okay?" Coach Martin lays a hand on Noah's  
shoulder in the changing room later that afternoon. Basketball  
practice had ended fifteen minutes ago and the boys had just finished  
showering.

Noah whips around in worry as he rubs a towel into his hair to  
absorb the excess water. "What's wrong with Abbey?"

The heavy-set short man shrugs. "I dunno. Mrs. Horack passed me  
in the hall and said Abbey was sitting out practice this afternoon  
because she fell on her barrel-roll because she was so distracted."

Noah grimaces. "We had a big trig test this morning. She  
probably just pulled an all-nighter last night and hasn't eaten a lot  
today. She has a habit of neglecting herself when she's under stress.  
I'll go check on her. Gym 3, right?"

"Yep. Take it easy, Noah, and take care of your girl." Mr.  
Martin smiles good-naturedly. The boys on his basketball team are like  
the sons he never had, and he takes great pride in all of them.

"Hey, Noah, we still gonna go outside and work on the lay up?"  
Hayden, Noah's best friend from high school, throws a clean t-shirt  
over his head and gathers his backpack off the bench in the change room.

Noah throws his uniform and his dirty gym clothes into his  
backpack and tosses it over his back. "No, sorry. Abbey fell in  
gymnastics earlier. I'm gonna go make sure she's all right. How about  
you come over on the weekend and we can practice before the game next  
week?"

"All right, man. Hope she's okay. See ya tomorrow," Hayden calls  
across the room.

•  
"Top girls, you're missing the count. It's up on three and spin  
on four-five. Let's try it again." Mrs. Horack, the gymnastics coach  
and science teacher, shouts across the gym to her team as Noah slips  
through the heavy doors to the gym. He spots Abbey sitting next to the  
coach and rushes over to her.

"Abbey, you okay? Noah inquires concernedly, sliding down next  
to his girlfriend.

Rolling her eyes, Abbey fixes her coach with a cool stare,  
knowing the only way Noah would have heard about her incident would be  
through the coach gossiping to Noah's coach. "Yeah, I just fell on my  
barrel-roll so Mrs. Horack asked me to rest. But I'm fine."

Noah rubs his hand up and down Abbey's arm. " Abbey, you need to  
slow down. You're taking on too much. And I'll bet you skipped lunch  
today, too. You can't do that. I mean, come on. You're making mistakes  
in gymnastics. That's not like you."

Abbey raises a brow to Noah. " Noah, do you even know what a  
barrel-roll entails?"

Noah glances to the other gymnastics on the massive array of  
mats. "You… spin and stuff."

Mrs. Horack shakes her head at Abbey to say "stupid boy".

Abbey shakes her head." No, Noah. See those four girls over? I  
jump onto their hands and they throw me up very high so I spin a  
complete 360 degrees in the air before landing in their arms. You  
know hard that is? No high school in the state has that stunt in their  
routine. I know you think it's petty and easy, but it's incredibly  
difficult."

"I don't think it's petty or easy. I know how hard you girls  
work. But I'm worried that you fell, that you lost your  
concentration," he explains further.

"Me, too," Mrs Horack adds. " I told her to go home and take it  
easy but she wanted to watch the remainder of the practice. Abbey,  
sweetie, you know all the counts by now. It won't kill you to skip  
this practice. Noah, can you take her home?

Noah offers a smile to Abbey's favourite tough but loving coach.  
"Absolutely. Come on, Abbey. You want me to call one of our parents  
to pick us up?" Noah stands up and offers his hands to help Abbey to  
her feet.  
"Nah. I think a walk home will help me clear my head. Thanks Mrs.  
Horack. I'll be much more focused on Thursday." Abbey reaches for her  
backpack but Noah snatches it off the ground and is already carrying  
it for her.  
"Okay, sweetie. Take care," the coach calls as Abbey and Noah leave  
the gym and she returns her attention to her team.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call your dad?" Noah is growing  
even more concerned as he and Abbey make their way from the school to  
their houses. She's sluggish and tired and doesn't want to talk about  
school or basketball or their favourite T.V show anymore.

"No, we're only a few blocks away now and my ankle is feeling  
better. Besides, this is the only afternoon of the week that Pat gets  
with my dad by himself. "

Noah exhales deeply and gives his head a shake. Sometimes Abbey  
is so stubborn and he can't make her see reason. Instead he just  
allows them to lapse into silence until they reach their subdivision.  
Noah notices that CJ's car is parked in the driveway and is glad  
because he wants to tell her Abbey isn't feeling well when he drops  
Abbey's bag in the house. He already knows Abbey will down-play her  
feeling so her mother won't worry.

"Mom's home early," Abbey points out as they climb the porch and  
let themselves inside. "Hey," she calls lamely into the foyer before  
turning to Noah. "Thanks for carrying my bag. I actually think I'm  
gonna take the advice of Coach Horack and you and go lie down for a bit."

"Okay, good," Noah breathes a sigh of relief.

"Hey, guys. How did your test go?" CJ asks, breezing into the  
foyer from the kitchen.

"We're not talking about that anymore," Noah tells CJ with a  
grimace to indicate that Abbey is still upset about the test and  
doesn't want to worry about it anymore.

"Oh, okay," CJ nods in understanding. " Well don't worry about  
it. I can count on one hand how many times I used trigonometry after  
high school. You've got a great average and I know one math test  
won't tarnish your record. So do you guys want to come in and have  
some crackers and cheese?"  
"Um, I think I'm just gonna go and lie down for a bit. I had a  
bad gymnastics practice." Abbey turns around to address Noah. " I'll  
talk to you later."

"All right. I'll give you a call tonight and see if you're  
feeling better." Noah leans in and pecks Abbey chastely on the lips.

"Bye," Abbey responds, turning back towards CJ. She drags  
herself up the stairs without further conversation.

"She had a really bad day, huh?" CJ asks Noah when Abbey has  
disappeared upstairs.

"I'm really worried. She was really stressed with school today  
and I think she skipped lunch. Then she fell in gymnastics because she  
lost her concentration. She kinda hurt her ankle and she's been tired  
and moody all day." Noah knows he probably shouldn't be offering this  
information to Abbey's mother if she didn't want to tell CJ herself,  
but Noah also knows that his concern for Abbey's health outweighs any  
anger she may direct towards him for tattling. Furthermore, he wants  
CJ to keep an eye on Abbey and help her nurse back to health.

"Yeah, she skipped breakfast today so not eating all day probably  
made practice difficult. And I certainly know how much pressure she's  
under right now. I'll go up and check on her. Don't worry, Mom's on  
the job." CJ lays a hand on Noah's shoulder and smiles proudly. She  
feels lucky that her daughter's boyfriend really cares enough about  
her to make sure she's taken care of by her parents.

Noah cracks a grin. " Thanks, CJ. Have a good night."

"You, too, sweetie." CJ closes the door once Noah has let himself  
out.

"Hey, honey," CJ raps lightly on Abbey's door and pushes it open  
slowly. " How are you feeling?"

"You shouldn't get too close. I think I'm getting the flue. I  
just vomited. " Abbey pulls the blankets tight up to her chin. She  
just wants to sleep this all off. Her stomach has been churning all  
day. She thought it was just nerves, but now she fears she's getting sick.

"Oh, dear. Lemme take your temperature." CJ perches on the side  
of Abbey's bed against her daughter's warning about getting too close.  
She presses a few fingers to Abbey's forehead and purses her lips. "  
You're a little clammy, but I don't think you have a temperature. Have  
you been feeling bad all day?"

"My stomach has been upset. I thought it was just nerves for the  
test. I haven't been able to eat and so I lost focus in practice."  
Abbey sits herself in bed.

"I'll go get the thermometer just to be sure. Then I'll go get  
you some flat ginger ale and saltines." CJ hurries to the bathroom  
(and takes note that Abbey made it to the toilet and didn't make a  
mess) to retrieve the thermometer.

"All right, sweetie." CJ inserts the thermometer into Abbey's ear  
and gets an instant digital reading. "You're temperature is normal. I  
think you've just been working really hard and under too much  
pressure. I want you to lie here tonight and just watch T.V and  
relax. If I see you so much as lift a book you'll be grounded til  
May. " She cracks a grin to deliver her joke and draws her daughter  
into a tight squeeze. " Honey, I've told you you've got to take a  
break sometimes. I know it's your senior year and you're trying hard  
to get scholarships, but you're running yourself ragged. "

Sighing, Abbey decides to admit her biggest confession. " Mom,  
you don't understand. Noah has a 98 average and he doesn't even have  
to try. He's on the basketball team, Model U.N and works in Senator  
Brown's office part-time. Everything comes so easy for him and it  
just doesn't for me. I need to bust my ass for my 94 average."

CJ stares in disbelief at her daughter. This doesn't sound like  
her at all. " You're right, I don't understand. You and Noah aren't  
competitive for grades. You both work hard and do your best. You help  
each other with homework and assignments and always go to each other's  
basketball games. Why, all of a sudden, do you think you're somehow  
inferior to him?"

Abbey grimaces and averts her eyes. " I don't know. I don't feel  
inferior…it's more like, a little jealous. He's just so smart."

CJ takes Abbey's hands in hers and looks seriously into her  
eyes."Abbey, you're very intelligent. You go to one of the top prep  
schools in the state, even the country, and you have a phenomenal A+  
average. You're great at school, you participate in two sports and  
volunteer to clean up the planet. You're just as good as Noah. And  
that's not just your mother talking. If you get frustrated and  
over-whelmed with everything, that's fine. But I will not let you  
down-play your incredible accomplishments that, by the way, your  
father and I couldn't be more proud of."

"All right, whatever…" Abbey shrugs it off, too tired to argue  
with her mother.

"Mom, can you give me a ride to school? Mitch and Alexia had to  
get dropped off early for school so I have no one to walk with."  
Patrick Concannon asks of his mother as he takes his empty bowl of  
cereal to the dishwasher.

"Not today, sweetheart. Abbey's been really sick this morning so  
I'm cancelling my appointments this morning to look after her. Why  
don't you hitch a ride with the Lyman's this morning? Don't forget  
your lunch. " CJ retrieves her son's sandwich, drink and snacks from  
the refrigerator and tosses them into a paper bag.

"Okay, thanks," Pat throws his lunch into his backpack and dashes  
out the kitchen.

"Have a good day, honey," CJ calls through the foyer. She  
finishes pouring a can of ginger ale into a glass of ice and heads  
upstairs to Abbey's bedroom.

"Okay, I got some more ginger ale." CJ manoeuvres her way through  
the piles of clothes and books scattered across Abbey's room to reach  
the bed. " I know you're having a rough morning, but I really don't  
think it's the flue. If it gets any worse, though, I'll call Sherri  
and see if she'll make a house call." CJ can't entirely figure out why  
Abbey is still so nauseous this morning. Perhaps she's just finally  
burning out and her body needs a chance to recuperate.

"It's okay. I think I'm gonna try to go to school at lunch time.  
I don't want to miss my afternoon classes, and I know you have a  
meeting with Frank Hollis this afternoon." Abbey takes a sip from the  
proffered glass, but immediately cringes. She doesn't even want to  
drink today.

"Don't worry about me, Abbey. I can make up my appointments  
another day. I'm not leaving you here by yourself while you're  
vomiting. And I'll really like to see you eat a meal. There's gonna be  
nothing left in your stomach to throw up if this continues." She  
adjusts the quilt on the bed and bends to kiss Abbey's temple. " Let  
me know if you want me to run to the video store at the corner quickly  
and rent a movie."

"Kay, thanks." Abbey collapses into her pillows again and sighs  
in frustration. She doesn't want to spend the whole day in bed,  
especially when she knows deep down that she isn't sick.

•  
"I can't believe your mom let you come back to school this  
afternoon," Noah admits as he shoves the books from his last afternoon  
class into his locker and retrieves his coat.

"Well I hadn't been sick since 9:30 and she had a really  
important meeting. Besides, I felt like I was cooped up in a prison  
and really needed to get out of there." Abbey puts on her uniform  
jacket for the walk home as Noah packs his bag with the books he'll  
need to do homework tonight.

"Well you look a lot better than yesterday, but you're still  
pretty pale." Noah shoves his locker shut and ushers Abbey down the hall.

"You were always the sweet talker. You better stop now before I  
jump you right here at school," Abbey drawls sarcastically.

Noah opens the heavy front door for Abbey so they can go into  
the front yard and parking lot and head in the direction of their  
houses. "You know I didn't mean it as a bad thing. I'm just worried. "

"Well, I don't have the flue," Abbey reveals as Noah takes her  
hand and leads them across the school yard.

Noah turns and grins at Abbey. " That's great news, baby."

"Hold that thought; in a second you're gonna wish I had the  
flue." Abbey glances nervously around to check if any of their  
friends are close by or within ear-shot.

"Why would I ever wish you had the flue?" Noah wonders in confusion.

"Oh, just because it's a better alternative than being pregnant,"  
Abbey rambles. After finally getting it out there, Abbey exhales  
sharply.

Noah freezes dead in his trail, turning to stare directly into  
Abbey's eyes, his pupils as large as saucers. "What?"

Abbey decides to quit the cute banter. The nerves she's been  
trying to assuage all morning since she discovered the cause of her  
stomach troubles bubble to the surface and she's close to tears. " I  
think I'm pregnant."

Noah shakes his head back and forth six or seven times before he  
can manage a response. " No…no, no, no no. That can't be right. We  
only had sex once and we used a condom."

Abbey ducks her head in shame, her cheeks turning a blushy red.  
" They don't always work."

"They…they don't always work?" Noah practically screams in disbelief.

Glancing around nervously, Abbey takes Noah's hand and resumes  
walking. "Keep it down. I…I don't know for sure. I wanna take a home  
pregnancy test."

Noah swallows hard and tries to regain his composure. Abbey  
doesn't need him yelling at her. "I can't believe this. We…we did  
everything right."

"I know," Abbey replies solemnly.

"What are we gonna do?" Noah wonders aloud.

"We're gonna find out for sure. There's a drug store on our way  
home." Abbey's visually shaking by now, contemplating what's going to  
happen next.  
•


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Part 2  
"How long do we have to wait?" Noah inquires, shifting nervously  
on Abbey's bed as she walks from the bathroom she and Patrick share to  
her room.

"A minute," Abbey informs him, placing the pregnancy test on her  
desk and joining him on the bed. On their way home from school, Noah  
went into the drugstore to purchase a pregnancy test. The entire time  
he was in the store he couldn't hide his obvious embarrassment and  
realized why Abbey asked him to go in while she waited outside. Since  
nobody was home yet for the evening, Abbey suggested they go to her house.

"I still don't think we should be up here. What if someone comes  
home?" Noah hasn't be allowed in Abbey's bedroom for years, basically  
for the whole reason they're sitting here waiting for a stick to  
dictate their future to them.

"I think we've got bigger problems than that right now. I don't  
think my dad will ground me for being up here when he realizes why  
we're here," snaps Abbey sharply. Her heart is beating so profusely  
in her chest she's afraid it'll push through her skin and splatter all  
over the bed.

Noah takes both of his hands and wraps them around Abbey's  
fidgeting hands in her lap. "I just want you to know that whatever  
happens, it doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you so much  
and nothing can ever change that. Whatever you want to do after we  
find out, I'll support your decision."

"Noah, you're not prepared to put your life on hold for me.  
You've got to go Harvard in September and do your own thing. We both  
have to do our own thing. We're not ready to make a life-long  
commitment, are we?" Abbey is worried that Noah's desire to take care  
of her and always do the right thing will cloud his judgment about  
what is best for his future.

Noah peers deeply into Abbey's eyes and tries to convey his  
innermost feelings. "I already have. I know somehow that you're the  
one I want to spend the rest of my life with. If you want to go to  
college and date other guys and really find yourself, that's okay. But  
I'm gonna be right here waiting when you realize that even though I  
may not be able to give you everything other guys can and I don't  
deserve you, no one will ever love you as much as I will."

"I can't hold you back," Abbey states with palpable worry. She  
glances at her watch and discovers their wait time is up. "I guess  
we're about to find out. I…I'm so scared to look."

Noah soothingly rubs her back and stands up. "Come on. We gotta  
face it."

Abbey silently steps up to the desk to their right and peers down  
to read the results on the pregnancy test, Noah holding her steady and  
looking over her shoulder.

Trembling, Abbey turns around and leans into Noah's solid frame.  
"It's positive."

Inhaling deeply, Noah nods as his arms wrap around his  
girlfriend. "Yeah. " There doesn't seem to be a better word now that  
their entire world comes crashing in upon them with the delivery of  
the news.

Their silence is broken when CJ pokes her head into the room.  
They hadn't heard her come in through the front door. "What are you  
guys doing up here? You know you're not supposed to be here. Are you  
listening impaired?" CJ stops dead when she notices the tears  
streaming down Abbey's cheeks when Noah releases her from his hold.  
"What's wrong?"

Shaking from head to toe, Abbey shares an uneasy look with Noah  
before turning to face her mom standing in the doorjamb. There's no  
point in lying or pretending anymore; her mom would have to know  
anyway. "I'm pregnant."

CJ face falls in absolute horror as she takes in the scene before  
her. She feels like she's in a movie or trapped in a terrible  
nightmare. No. These things happen to other people-other parents. Not  
her. Not her and Danny. Their kids were good and responsible. Their  
daughter was a straight A student about to start college at a  
prestigious university , not some tramp with low self-esteem or  
whatever other stereotype she held of girls who end up in this  
position. "Oh…my God."

"Mom…." Abbey tries to begin a sentence, but finds that she's at  
a loss for words.

CJ finally recovers her ability to articulate. "No, no, no, no,  
no! You swore to me you used protection! You promised me you were safe!"

"We were!" Abbey responds unequivocally.

"We really were, CJ," Noah adds to their defence.

Shaking her head, CJ tries to calm herself. "I swear to God I  
could bash both of your heads together right now. Noah, go home and  
tell you parents and ask them to come over so we can sit and discuss  
this."

Swallowing hard, Noah turns to Abbey and draws her into a loose  
embrace, kissing her head. "It's all right. I'll be back in a bit." As  
Noah dashes past CJ in the doorway, Abbey collapses onto her bed,  
suddenly needing a solid support under her.

CJ realizes quickly that she probably over-reacted. The kids were  
obviously scared shitless right now. Abbey looks like she's about to  
pass out. She strides across the room and sits next to her daughter  
on the bed. Are you okay?"

"No, Mommy, I've never felt so scared in my life." Abbey gives in  
and allows the uncontrollable sobs to rack her body. "I don't know  
what we're gonna do."

CJ snakes an arm around her daughter and draws her into a hug.  
"It's okay. We'll sit and talk about options. Your father will be home  
any minute."

"Any chance you don't think we have to tell him?" Abbey asks  
hopefully. She can only imagine how disappointed he will be with her,  
and she always tries to avoid disappointing him.

CJ fixes her daughter with a serious look. "Of course we do."

Abbey pries herself from CJ's hold. "He's gonna ground me for the  
rest of my life and then he's gonna castrate Noah."

CJ can't help but smile slightly through all the chaos. "It's a  
huge shock, no doubt."

Sighing, Abbey nods. "But it's not like we chose this. It's not  
like we're trying to screw up our lives on purpose."

"You don't have to try," CJ points out, standing up again. She  
hears the front door open and Danny announce his home-coming. "All  
right, let's go tell him. I'm glad PJ's next door at the reverend's."

Abbey begins what she can only imagine is the longest, hardest  
descent of their staircase in her entire seventeen years.

"Well good afternoon to the two most wonderful women in the  
world," Danny grins in greeting as he hang his jacket in the foyer  
closet.

At least he's in a good mood, Abbey mutters to herself.

"Hi, darling. Why don't you come sit in the den? Abbey's got  
something she needs to tell you." CJ places a hand delicately on her  
husband's shoulder and gently steers him toward the den.

"I don't like it when you use that tone. It's never good news when  
you use that tone," Danny states directly as he takes a seat in his  
arm chair.

CJ directs Abbey over to the couch, plants herself right beside  
her daughter and squeezes her hand for comfort.

"I can't do this," Abbey desperately cries to her mother, the  
tears starting all over again. She knows this will break her father's  
heart. He can probably never forgive her for this.

"It's okay," CJ reiterates in a soothing tone. "Let's just get  
this over with."

"Okay, you two are scaring the hell out of me now," Danny admits,  
his eyes darting from his wife to his daughter.

Abbey can't meet his eyes. She averts her gaze to her lap,  
sucks in a huge gulp of air and lets it out. " I'm….I'm…I'm…pregnant,"  
she finally stutters, physically bracing herself for the response.

Danny's hands immediately fly to his head. " Oh my dear Lord.  
This must be what an aneurism feels like. Oh my God. Are you  
absolutely out of your fucking mind? Are you and Noah fucking idiots?"  
His uncharacteristically booming voice echoes through the room.

Abbey physically recoils at the language and tone coming from her  
father. Her parents rarely ever yell and never swear at them. She  
can't help but cry harder and shield her eyes from looking at him.

"Danny! Stop that right now. We don't use that language!" CJ  
screams back. "The kids aren't stupid. It was an accident. It's not  
like they wanted this to happen. They used protection."

Danny sighs loudly and tries to gain some composure. He's never  
yelled at his kids like that before. "I should have built a dungeon  
when you were thirteen and kept you away from Noah. How could this  
happen?"

Abbey finally summons the courage to open her eyes and meet her  
father's heated gaze. With more sincerity than she's ever known, she  
whispers, "I'm so sorry."

"Noah, I think you two need to consider what this could do to  
your futures. You've got so much potential and you're going to go on  
and do great things in your life. I'd hate to see you throw away  
everything you've worked so hard to achieve." Josh can't help but  
express his concerns as he, Donna and Noah walk down the street to the  
Concannon's. When Noah told them the news, he and Donna had been  
extremely shocked. He had warned his son on numerous occasions about  
safe sex and how he'd never want to be in this exact position.

Noah shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. He had changed out  
of his school uniform when he got home, wanting to be slightly more  
comfortable under the circumstances. "I can't believe you don't want  
me to support Abbey. You were the one who told me I had to be very  
responsible with Abbey and treat her properly and stand up for what's  
right. So I wanna do the right thing and support whatever decision  
Abbey makes."

"Of course, Noah. You should. But we're just worried about your  
future career prospects. You're incredibly bright and you could take  
on the world if that's what you want. You don't want to be burdened  
with a young family. This is the time in your life that you're  
supposed to go to college and have normal experiences with other  
students. You're going to grow and develop and figure out what you  
want to do with your life." Donna rubs her son's shoulder in comfort  
as they approach their friends' house. " But whatever you and Abbey  
want to do, we'll be there for both of you the whole time." She smiles  
lopsidedly, trying to ease some of the tension.

"Danny's gonna kill me," Noah mutters bitterly.

Josh shrugs and knocks on the door. "Well that's his prerogative  
as a father of a daughter. If it were Ella in this position I'd pummel  
the guy's ass with a baseball bat. Thank God our daughter is too  
wrapped up in her school work and hasn't discovered boys."

"That's what you think," Noah whispers under his breath as the  
door opens.

CJ is frowning slightly as she opens the door, clearly  
distressed. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

Donna reaches out to squeeze her friend's hands and offer her a  
sympathetic look to say they're all in this together.

"Why don't you take a seat in the living room?" CJ points to the  
room to their left. "Danny's walking around in the backyard trying to  
wrap his head around this. I'll go get him. Noah, Abbey's upstairs  
changing. Why don't you get her, honey?"

Nodding, Noah spins around and ascends the stairs.

"You're letting him go upstairs?" Josh asks in confusion as he  
and Donna seat themselves on the love seat.

With an eye roll, CJ shrugs. "It doesn't matter anymore, does it?  
Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"No thanks," Donna responds.

CJ leaves her friend to go retrieve Danny from outside, where he  
is no doubt smoking to calm his nerves. A few minutes later she and  
Danny return to the living room and sit on the couch while the kids  
come back downstairs and Abbey climbs into the arm chair and Noah  
perches on the arm of the chair. Noah wraps one arm around Abbey's  
back and holds her hands with his free hand.

Glancing nervously at the adults on the couches, Abbey decides to  
break the awkward silence. "I like it when you all stare at us like  
that. It's…comforting."

"Well I thought it would be a good idea for us all to sit and  
have a conversation about what to do now. We need to make sure you  
know your options." CJ continues to lock gazes with Abbey. "For  
instance, there's adoption. You guys are only seventeen. You're  
probably not ready to be parents. You want to go away to separate  
colleges in September and start on your respective roads to  
independence. You've got bright futures and a baby would really hold  
you back. But there are lovely couples out there who can't have their  
own children and you could make them very happy."

"And there's abortion," Donna points out, figuring that someone  
has to eventually mention the unmentionable. "If you don't want anyone  
else to know and you want to put this behind you quickly, then that's  
an option."

"What about keeping the baby?" Abbey asks, her eyes taking in the  
visible responses from each of the parents. She knows it sounds crazy,  
but in the half an hour she's had this news, she's realized that she  
really wants to keep the baby.

"Honey, you want to keep the baby?" CJ is even more shocked.  
Abbey's always been concerned about her education and career and never  
really talked about having a family. Sure she had mentioned that she  
eventually wanted to marry Noah and spent their lives together, but  
marriage and children were always discussed in the abstract future.

Abbey shares a look with Noah and nods. " I…I don't want to  
destroy it or give it up. I know it's gonna completely change my  
plans for the future, but maybe I can do it. Maybe this is what I'm  
supposed to do. Maybe it happened for a reason. I think I can have  
this baby and raise it."

Noah's face relaxes into a small smile. "I think you can, too.  
And I want to be there, too. I want to be completely involved and help  
you raise this baby. I'll never abandon you. I know I'm not really  
ready to be a father, but maybe I can get there. I want to love this  
child with every fiber of my body. And while I know I won't be the  
best, I can promise you I will love you and our baby in every way I  
know how." Noah leans down to nuzzle Abbey's cheek.

Abbey kisses Noah back but then pulls back and fixes him a  
serious look. "I want you to be involved, but I'm worried we'd be  
compromising your future. I think you should still go to Harvard and  
do your own thing for a while. You need to focus on your education and  
career."

Noah firmly shakes his head. "No way. I'll still go to school  
but I'm gonna be by your side the whole time. If you want, I'll enrol  
at Georgetown. It doesn't matter anymore where I am, as long as I'm  
there for you. We're in love and we're going to work hard to make sure  
our relationship lasts."

"Yeah, you're right. But actually," Abbey turns back to look at  
her parents. "I think maybe I should go to college here. If we're  
gonna be raising a baby we won't have enough money for rent or  
dormitory life. And…and I could never do this without my parent's  
help. You, and the Lyman's, are the best examples of how to be a  
parent I know. I can't do it without you."

CJ's face breaks into a smile as tears begin to well in her  
eyes. She goes over to the arm chair and envelopes Abbey in her arms.  
"If this what you want, then we'll support you every step of the way.  
You're not doing this alone. But you have to be absolutely sure this  
is what you want, and both of you have to realize how hard it's going  
to be. You're not going to get the normal college experiences your  
friends will. You'll be changing diapers on Friday nights instead of  
going to frat parties and you'll be feeding your baby when you need to  
be studying for midterms. "

"We can do it," Abbey states with more confidence than she's had  
thus far. Strangely, she feels a little weight lifting off her  
shoulders now that they've made a decision.

"I know you can," Donna adds encouragingly, stepping across the  
room to offer her own hugs to the kids. "And we'll always be here to  
help, as well."

Abbey's smile fades as she looks up over the arms wrapped around  
her and locks gazes with her father. "Daddy? What do you think?"

With a great deal of effort, Danny concedes that this is probably  
the best option given the circumstances, and the parents have no  
choice but to support what the kids decided on. "All right. As long  
as you recognize how hard this is going to be and you promise to stick  
it out, then I guess we'll do whatever we can to help." Danny, along  
with Josh, make their way to the kids to join in the hugging, which is  
more supportive than cheerful hugging.

"Okay, okay, you don't wanna crush your grandchild," Abbey says  
with a giggle, attempting to give herself some space.

"Oh my God. We're all gonna be grandparents," Josh suddenly realizes.

"These guys catch on quick," CJ teases.

"So, will the kids still live at home?" Danny asks. "I mean,  
they don't have any money to move out now."

CJ nods as they all resume their seats "Yeah, that's probably  
best. It'll be easier for them to finish high school and start  
college in the state and take care of the baby if they're still at  
home. And I don't want them living in some dingy trailer somewhere."

"What about getting married?" Josh wonders aloud.

"I think we should," Noah interjects quickly. "I think we should  
be a real family and try to make this work as normally as possible."

"Well we don't need a marriage certificate to make us a family,"  
Abbey points out. "But I think we can worry about that later."

CJ bobs her head in agreement with Abbey. "Yes, that's true. I'll  
call my gynaecologist tomorrow and get you in for an appointment. We  
want to make sure everything is healthy before we start making plans."

"Thank you, guys, for being willing to help. I know it's a huge  
surprise and none of us had planned for it. We have a tough road  
ahead of us, but with your guidance maybe we can just manage to dodge  
all the potholes." Abbey is still scared out of her mind at the  
prospect of being a mother, but luckily she and Noah have parents who  
can help teach them the ropes.

"We'll all just have to make the best out of this," Donna says  
with a sigh. " But I think we should get back home. We need to start  
dinner before Ella and Davy start to wonder." Josh follows Donna to  
the foyer and the rest of the group files out to see their guests out.

"We should probably tell the other kids soon," CJ suggests.

Donna wraps Abbey in another hug. "Take care, sweetie. We love  
you so much. And let us know if you need anything. Noah's gonna help  
you through all the crazy pregnancy symptoms so he can truly  
appreciate everything you're going to have to go through."

"Looking forward to it," Abbey replies sarcastically as Josh  
gives her a one arm hug.

"Bye, kiddo." Josh releases Abbey and reaches his hand out to  
Danny to shake. "Don't worry, pal. We got your back. Noah's gonna be  
the best partner for Abbey."

"I like how you keep putting more pressure on us," Noah says  
sarcastically as he snakes one arm around Abbey's waist.

"Get used to it," Josh simply answers, stepping outside while  
Donna and CJ share a quick hug.

Noah leans forward and captures Abbey's lips in a chaste kiss. "I  
love you. Call me whenever you want, but I'll call you before bed  
anyway."

"Okay," Abbey breathes out loud. "Love you, too."

"I'll call you later," CJ calls as the Lyman's head down the porch.

"You know, princess, you're the reason why my hair has completely  
turned to white. And this kinda thing doesn't help." Danny pulls his  
only daughter into his arms and holds her close. Originally he was  
shocked, upset and even livid with Abbey. But he realized as he was  
taking a drag in the backyard that this wasn't one of those cases  
where they could just ground her and hope she learns a lesson. This  
is a life-altering surprise that they just have to deal with.

Abbey can' t help but breath a sigh of relief as she melts into  
her father's arms. He called her princess so he must not be as upset.  
"I know you're disappointed in me and I can certainly understand that  
you're upset. But I'm just so glad that my baby is going to have the  
love of all four of its grandparents. Maybe some girls could run off  
and raise their baby by themselves, but I could never do this if you  
all resented me and the baby."

CJ runs a hand down Abbey's arm affectionately."Honey, we can't  
pretend we're exactly thrilled about this. I mean, raising a teenager  
who's raising a baby wasn't in our game plan. But this happened and  
we're committed to helping you. We're gonna need to do a lot of work  
before you become a mother, but you shouldn't think for one second  
that we're not going to love this baby."

Abbey's face relaxes into a genuine smile. "Then I guess that's  
all we need."

"I think I need a bubble bath," CJ declares as she strips out of  
her work clothes in the master-bedroom.

"I'm good. Scotch and a cigarette, I'm completely calm now."  
Danny exhales loudly and cracks a smile as he removes his own clothes.

"Yeah, well, you weren't in the beginning. Danny, it really hurt  
me that you would swear at Abbey like that. That's not what we do." CJ  
removes her necklace and sets in her old jewellery box.

"I know. I over-reacted. But, God, CJ, she dropped a bomb. I  
still haven't completely come to terms with it all. Abbey's gonna have  
a baby, she's going to go to college here in California and she's  
going to live with us. Whether we like it or not we're about to take  
on a huge extra load. We're now in our sixties. We don't have the  
energy to raise another child."

CJ begins filling the tub in the ensuite bathroom then returns to  
the bedroom. "Danny, we're not going to be completely raising our  
grandchild. We just need to help the kids out for a few years until  
they finish school and get a job so they can move out. I know it's  
taking on a lot, but it's the only way this is going to work. I refuse  
to let my daughter and grandchild be thrown out on the streets to fend  
for themselves. They're not going to be living in a dirty trailer  
somewhere wondering if they're going to have enough to eat and enough  
money to pay the bills."

"Of course not" Danny agrees, flopping onto their bed.

"We'll figure this all out as we go along. And it won't be easy.  
They don't write a lot of instruction booklets for dealing with  
raising a pregnant teenager. We'll have to rely on good ol' fashioned  
parental intuition." CJ lowers herself into the massive tub with six  
massaging jets. Apparently not all teenage mothers are exactly as she  
imagined. Abbey isn't a big attention-hogging, desperate whore. She's  
a good, smart kid who has been dealt a tough hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3  
"Is your mom picking you up for the OB-GYN appointment?" Noah  
inquires as they reach the end of the hallway and approach Abbey's  
locker.

"Shssh!" Abbey hisses. They decided they would wait until Monday  
to start telling their friends. CJ had called the doctor yesterday  
and today, Friday, Abbey has an appointment after school. "Yes, she's  
probably waiting for me now."

"You sure you don't want me to come?" Noah asks as Abbey turns  
her lock to the combination and opens her locker.

"No. There's no point in you coming to this one." Abbey peers  
into her locker at the stuffed monkey sitting neatly in the centre  
with the words "Unconditional Love" etched across the monkey's chubby  
tummy. Abbey notices a pink ribbon hanging from the toys neck and a  
ring dangling from the ribbon. Her jaw drops in surprise and delight  
and she looks to Noah for an explanation.

Noah is grinning insanely. "I made the monkey last night at  
Build-A-Bear' and had it engraved. I was saving to buy you a promise  
ring to give you before we went away in September, but I took the  
money and my dad and I went out last night to buy this engagement  
ring. I know this isn't the dream proposal you probably always  
expected and I know it's not done under ideal circumstances. We don't  
have any money and we're really young. I don't know entirely how  
we're gonna make this work, but I know I will try as much as humanly  
possible to be the husband you really deserve and the best father this  
baby could hope for. I will work for the rest of my life to try to  
make you even a fraction of how happy you make me. I'll never give up  
on us and I will be here for you forever. So, will you marry me?"

Thanking God her locker isn't in a high-traffic hallway where  
everyone would over-hear them, Abbey throws her arms around Noah's  
neck and squeezes hard. "Oh, Noah. Yes, yes of course!" She attacks  
her boyfriend with wet, sloppy kisses over his neck and face before  
their lips finally meet in a passionate kiss.

Breaking off after a minute, Abbey grins insanely and releases  
the ring from the ribbon on the monkey's neck to hand to Noah. "Here,  
put it on."

With a contented smile, Noah sends a silent prayer of thanks for  
her answer and slides the ring onto her left ring finger. Abbey  
examines it with an excited expression.

"Oh my God, it's beautiful. Noah, how much did you have saved?"  
Abbey doesn't know anything about diamonds, but she knows it couldn't  
have been cheap.

"Don't worry about it," Noah tells her directly to end the  
conversation. They'll soon have to be considering their joint  
finances, but there's no reason she needs to know what he paid for her  
engagement ring and who his benefactor (Josh) was. Noah made it  
perfectly clear to Josh that he would return the loan when he  
collected enough money from his pay-checks.

"I…I have to go," Abbey announces disappointingly.

"Okay. Call me when you get back. I wanna know how the  
appointment goes." Noah hands Abbey the stuffed toy. "And this monkey  
isn't actually for you. This is my first present for our baby. My  
first act of fatherhood- proposing to you and buying my baby's first  
toy."

Abbey laughs lightly. "All right, but your first act of  
fatherhood actually occurred about six weeks ago. But semantics…"

Laughing in return, Noah leans in to claim another kiss. "  
Whatever. Good luck and I love you…Both of you."

Nodding, Abbey adjusts her backpack and takes off down the  
hallway towards the school lobby.

When Abbey hopped into the waiting car, she immediately gushed  
the news of the engagement to CJ, who had squealed along with her.  
While it certainly isn't something she imagined for her daughter at  
seventeen, she was adopting the attitude that they had to turn this  
whole situation into something positive. The kids were in love and  
prepared to spend the rest of their lives together. The engagement, in  
spite of the circumstances, should be something to be celebrated.  
They're lives aren't over because they're having a baby.

"Daddy!" Abbey bellows through the foyer when she and CJ arrive  
home after the doctor's office. She drops her backpack and sheds off  
her school jacket. "Daddy, come here!"

Danny comes into the foyer via the den and smiles in greeting.  
"Hey. How was your appointment?"

Abbey rushes up to him in an excited hurry and shoves the  
ultrasound picture under his nose. " That's my baby! Can you believe  
it? It's like a little minnow or turtle. It's so small."

Danny exhales deeply as he locates the tiny embryo in the  
picture. A part of him wishes it was a picture of her pet or doll she  
was showing him. But his daughter isn't a little girl anymore. She's a  
young woman about to start a family. "It's beautiful, sweetheart."

"Don't you have some news you'd like to share with your father?"  
CJ asks, nudging. Her tone is the exact opposite of the way she had to  
say those words forty-eight hours ago.

"Oh, right." Abbey remembers, lifting her left hand up to for  
Danny to see the ring. "Noah proposed! We're getting married!"

Danny always expected he'd hear those words some day. He wished  
it would be in five or ten years, but now it has to be a positive  
thing that the kids want to get married soon. "Congratulations, baby."  
Danny draws her into an embrace and kisses the top of her head.

Breaking off, Abbey smiles. "I'm gonna go call Noah. He can come  
over and look at the baby." Abbey dashes upstairs.

Danny's eyes follow his daughter's ascent until she disappears  
into the upstairs hallway. Then he turns back around to catch CJ  
grinning happily. "So I take it the doctor said everything was healthy?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. She's due in the middle of October.  
Abbey is so excited now. I can't believe what a change we've had in  
the last forty-eight hours." CJ collapses into Danny's outstretched  
arms. They spent the last two sleepless nights discussing how they  
were going to cope with it all.

Danny rubs circular patterns across CJ's back. "I guess that's a  
good thing. The kids will have to work hard, but there's no reason  
for them to consider this a prison sentence. I guess we should all be  
happy."

Nodding, CJ responds, "Right. And I was thinking, there's no  
reason we can't give our daughter a nice, tasteful wedding. This will,  
hopefully, be the only wedding she'll ever have and it shouldn't be a  
shot-gun wedding. Abbey wants to have it before the baby's born,  
preferably before she starts showing, so we won't have the luxury of  
time to plan. I told her to ask Donna to come over this evening and  
we'd start to go over some plans."

"Okay. Wanna go in the kitchen and fix a snack?" Danny hitches  
his thumb in the direction of the kitchen ahead of them.

"Sure, where's PJ?" CJ follows Danny into the kitchen and grabs a  
diet Dr. Pepper from the fridge.

"Next door with Mitch and Alexia. I think he's finding all of  
these changes hard to cope with." Danny accepts the container of  
hummus CJ hands him and goes in search of flatbread in the pantry.

"I'm worried about him. He said he's fine, but he's probably just  
not wanting to make a big deal out of it." CJ sits at the counter. "We  
can talk with him again tonight. I actually had an idea I wanted to  
run by you." When Danny takes a seat next to her, she offers him a  
drink from her can of Dr. Pepper.

"What's that?" Danny digs into the snack.

CJ swallows her bite of flatbread and hummus. "Well, now that  
the kids are getting married, I thought we should offer to have Noah  
move in with us. I know you'll think it sounds crazy, but here me out.  
We want them to have a strong relationship and be equal partners in  
parenting. I think they need to live together so they can have a  
semi-normal married life. And it's important that Noah sees everyday  
what Abbey has to go through to carry this child, and what she'll have  
to go through after it's born. He needs to appreciate everything his  
wife does for their child."

Danny raises a brow to his wife. "I see the merit in your  
position, but you seriously want to put them in the same bedroom so  
they can have sex in the same bed every night?"

CJ can't help but chuckle. "Come on, Danny. It's not a big deal.  
They're going to be married soon, and sex is a normal part of married  
life."

"Well it doesn't need to be," Danny grumbles in retort, shoving a  
piece of flatbread in his mouth.

"I'll keep that in mind next time you reach for me in the middle  
of the night," CJ retorts back with a sly grin.

"I just don't like the idea of my daughter having sex in our  
house. Well, having sex at all, but especially under our roof." Danny  
needs to take a sip of the soda to wet his dry throat.

CJ rubs her husband's shoulder comfortingly. "Of course we don't  
like the idea. But it's her house, too, and the one she's going to  
live under with her husband and child. If we want them to have a  
long, healthy relationship then we've got to let them try to have a  
normal marriage. It won't be forever. This is just a temporary  
arrangement til they can take care of themselves. Maybe I'll talk to  
her about proper…bedroom etiquette. After all, our sixteen year-old  
son still lives here and we don't need him seeing and hearing things  
that should be private. We'll try to make the best of this."

They can hear the front door open and Abbey welcoming Noah in.

"Hey, kids, come in here!" CJ shouts.

"Oh my God it's so small," Noah states, examining the ultra sound  
picture as they file into the kitchen.

"It's the size it's supposed to be," Abbey assures him, taking a  
seat on the other side of the island counter. "And I'm sorry I didn't  
want you to come. I didn't know I'd get an ultrasound."

"No, I mean it looks so tiny. Like a little turtle or something."  
Noah can't wipe the grin off his face as he sits next to Abbey.

"That's what I said it looked like!" Abbey exclaims.

"This is real, isn't it?" Noah shares a look with his fiancée.  
It's been slowly sinking in on him just how real everything is.

"Here, have some hummus dip. I'll get you some soda." CJ slides  
off her seat and heads to the fridge.

"Juice for me, please. Dr. Terry said no caffeine." Abbey helps  
herself to the snack, suddenly starving. She hasn't been able to eat  
anything in the mornings the last few days so her mother has been  
trying to stuff her full of food in the evenings.

"That reminds me. I picked you up a book that explains everything  
your body is going through as the baby grows. It'll help you feel  
better prepared." CJ sets a glass of juice in front of Abbey and a  
can of Coke in front of Noah.

"Thanks," Abbey mumbles between bites of flatbread.

"Now that you two are getting married your father and I talked  
and we thought that if you wanted to live together after the wedding,  
then we would welcome Noah to move in here."

Abbey drops the piece of bread in her hands. "Really?" She  
wonders why they're being so accommodating since she told them about  
the baby. "Why are you being so helpful to us now? I mean, I  
appreciate it, but three days ago you were trying to make sure we  
didn't sleep together again and now you're inviting Noah to move in?"

First glancing to Danny, then back to Abbey, CJ explains. "We  
want you to have the chance to have a long, happy, healthy marriage.  
You've got a lot of obstacles ahead of you and you're chances of  
making it are very slim. We want to make this a little easier on you  
so you have a fighting chance. You decided you're going to have this  
baby and get married, so we're going to support you. Noah should be  
here to help you through the pregnancy and to take care of the baby."

Shaking her head, Abbey adopts a look of pure awe. "You are  
absolutely selfless, Mom. I…I hope that when I'm a mother, I'll be  
even half as wonderful as you and always look out for my child's welfare."

Danny smiles and nods at Abbey. "You will, because you had the  
best example."

Abbey steps down off her stool and walks around the island to  
throw her arms around CJ in a huge hug. "Thank you." She can't help  
but let out a sob as tears cascade down her cheek.

"Here come the waterworks," Danny announces to Noah. "Son, you  
better get used to raging hormones."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate this." Noah is so  
grateful and glad that CJ and Danny will allow him to be around Abbey  
all the time now. Sometimes he thinks Danny can be unreasonable about  
their relationship, but it seems that after three and half years, his  
soon-to-be father-in-law is finally going to be comfortable with him  
being around Abbey.

CJ and Abbey's heads touch when their hug is finished."Well,  
we'll need to talk about it some more, but we figured it would be the  
best situation. You're probably gonna need my help looking after the  
baby and teaching you what to do, so it would be easier to live here  
than at Noah's house. Plus, Pat's almost sixteen while Ella is only  
fifteen and Davy thirteen. I'm sure it would be harder for them to  
live with a married sibling."

Noah shrugs. "Actually, Davy's pretty excited to be the only  
uncle in eighth grade."

"CJ, I think it's really nice that you're inviting Noah to live  
with you, but it's a rather large burden you're taking on. It's not  
your responsibility to house, feed and raise my son." Donna accepts  
the cup of tea CJ passes her in the kitchen.

CJ shrugs with a frown. "I think it's the only way this can work.  
And we really don't mind. We'll be taking a lot of responsibility for  
the baby anyway and the kids should be together when they're married.  
And I know you and Josh will be a tremendous help in many other ways  
with Abbey and the baby. And truthfully, I think your kids will be  
better off not having Noah and Abbey living in your house. I mean,  
it's going to be weird enough for us and Pat, but Ella and Davy are  
even younger. It's probably better that their married brother and his  
family doesn't live there, too. "

Donna smiles gratefully as she stirs some milk into her mug at  
the counter. "Well, thank you. Maybe Josh and I can help you out with  
the added expense-like a monthly allowance for Noah that goes right to  
you guys."

Shaking her head firmly, CJ can't help but chuckle. "No way.  
You're not giving us money for Noah like your buying a cow or forcing  
us to hire him for a job. We're all family and we help each other out.  
I'm sure the kids will want to spend time at your house a lot, as  
well. So give them a few meals a month and help out with the baby and  
we'll call it even."

Nodding, Donna finally gives in, realizing that they'd never  
accept money from them for Noah. "Okay. But maybe we can help in some  
other ways? We can split on the wedding. And Josh and I talked and we  
figured that since Noah won't be going to school in Boston, we'll be  
saving enough money on his education that we could maybe buy the kids  
a dependable car to drive to school and carry around the baby in. That  
way they won't be dependent on the four of us for rides all the time  
and we know they'll be in a safe car."

"That's a great idea, Donna. Maybe that can be your wedding gift  
for them? I don't know what we'll give them." CJ takes a sip of her  
tea, contemplating the idea.

"Well I think a roof over their heads and a nice, warm house to  
raise their baby is more than enough. Plus, you'll be giving them  
something invaluable- your love, guidance and encouragement as they  
begin the scariest part of their lives."

"Well let's go in the den and see what the kids have come up with  
for the wedding," CJ suggests, deciding she and Danny will have to  
come up with a gift for them that could possibly compete with a new car.

When they reach the den, Abbey has a couple wedding magazines  
scattered across the coffee table.

"This all seems very complicated. Why don't we just keep it nice  
and simple? We can have the ceremony at the Bartlet farm like my  
parents did." Abbey leans back against the coach next to Noah.

"That's a good idea. We can call and talk to your grandma and  
grandpa tonight. That'll be a fun conversation," CJ drawls  
sarcastically as she and Donna take a seat on the love seat adjacent  
to the couch that faces the entertainment unit. She can only imagine  
how she'd drop this bomb on Abbey Bartlet.

"Great. Another man in Abbey's life who will want to kill me. And  
Jed Bartlet's a former president, he's probably still got connections  
to the 82nd Airborne," Noah grumbles in realization that he'll  
disappoint another of Abbey's heroes.

"Hey! Quit talking like that, "Donna admonishes her son. " You're  
very fortunate. CJ and Danny are welcoming you and the baby into their  
homes and they want to help you. Be grateful that they're acting the  
way they are. We all could have turned both of you out and told you to  
find your own solutions and make it on your own." For Donna and Josh,  
just like CJ and Danny, that was never really an option because they  
wanted to aid their children through the rough times ahead. But it's  
not like other parents wouldn't tell their kids to figure it out by  
themselves.

"I'm sorry," Noah apologies sincerely, looking at CJ. "That's  
right. You've all been great about it, and we're really grateful.  
Really. But we feel like we've disappointed everybody who really  
matters to us because we made the decision to keep the baby. And then  
if we decided not to keep the baby then we would also be disappointing  
everyone, and ourselves. It's like no matter what decision we made,  
people will think less of us." Noah can't help but sigh deeply. He and  
Abbey had talked about what it was going to be like when they told  
their friends, teachers and coaches. Everyone who's invested a lot in  
them would feel like they're ruined their lives and won't be able to  
reach their potentials now.

Donna and CJ are pretty surprised at this revelation, but they  
can certainly understand why the kids feel the way they do. CJ  
finally finds her voice. "Okay. Listen closely because I'm sure there  
will be times in the future when you screw up and we'll need to  
correct you on occasion. You deciding to keep this baby and raise it  
is the single-most bravest, courageous and difficult choice you've  
ever made. While we aren't necessarily impressed that it happened now,  
we are incredibly impressed that you have the guts to stand up for  
what you think is right. We're proud of both of you for taking this on  
at such a young age. So when you go to school and tell the news, go in  
their with your heads held high knowing that you're doing the right  
thing, and anyone who disagrees isn't worth your time, energy or  
concern. The important people in your lives will understand and be  
supportive."

After sharing a look with Noah, Abbey looks across the room at  
her mother. "So you think Grandma Abbey and Grandpa Jed will be okay  
with it? Do you think they'll let us have the wedding at their house?"

"The President got over Josh creating a secret plan to fight  
inflation. I think he'll understand," quips CJ.

"Look at this one. Isn't it gorgeous?" An hour later, after a  
difficult conversation with the Bartlet's (who had agreed that Abbey  
and Noah should be commended and not condemned for deciding to keep  
the baby) Abbey, CJ and Donna are gathered in the sitting room looking  
at wedding gowns in bride magazines while Josh, Noah and Danny watch  
Pat and Davy playing Nintendo in the den . "Do you think I could ask  
Stephanie to make this in time for the wedding in two weeks?"

CJ wraps an arm around her daughter. "I don't know, sweetie.  
When we decided on two weeks I thought you wanted to wear my dress.  
When you were little you always said you wanted to wear it."

Abbey shrugs, returning her attention to the magazine. "But  
that's when I thought I'd be old when I got married." Receiving her  
mother's cold stare, Abbey amends. "I mean older. No offence, but you  
were forty-four when you got married. I'm less than half of that."

Donna brings a hand up to cover her mouth to prevent CJ from  
seeing her smile. It's so true. She guess they'll all need to have a  
little sense of humour when it comes to the whole situation.

"Well, now that we've decided on a date and secured the location,  
I think it's time we talked to the pastor and see if he'll fly up to  
Manchester to perform the ceremony." CJ dreads having to convey the  
news to their neighbours. She knows the minister and his wife would  
probably agree that the teens are making the right decision, but she's  
worried they won't be as comfortable letting their fifteen year-old  
daughter, Alexia, into their house to hang out with PJ, and letting  
their seventeen year-old son, Mitch, go out with Abbey and Noah.

"They're gonna wanna keep Mitch and Alexia away from our devil  
influence," Abbey guesses with a crooked grin.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure he'll advise them not to follow in your  
footsteps, but we won't kick you out of church or not let you hang out  
with the kids," Donna assures her.

"It's not the pastor I'm worried about, it's Mrs.Richter, " Abbey  
grumbles seriously. She knows Mitch and Alexia are some of her  
brother's only close friends. He has a harder time meeting new people,  
so she doesn't want him to lose their friendship because she and Noah  
are having a baby. "I don't want her to ban them from seeing PJ. Pat  
doesn't make friends easily so he has to hang on to the ones he's got."

"I'll go talk to them in the morning," CJ offers, rubbing Abbey's  
shoulders comfortingly. The truth is, they've all put Pat's needs  
aside the last few days as they considered what would be best for the  
rest of them.

•  
"I thought we should come over here and inform you about some  
recent events going on in our household," CJ begins to Ted and Marci  
Richter as Marci hands her a cup of tea in their dining room.

With a smile, Ted takes a seat next to Danny. "We got the  
newsletter already. Abbey and Noah are having a baby. Pat told us."

"The news is going to get to Belgium by tomorrow," Danny  
grumbles. This is all happening so quickly.

CJ exhales lightly, feeling a little better they don't have to  
divulge the news. "Oh, good. We're a little concerned about how he's  
taking this, actually. But we'll have to deal with that later."

"He also said they'd be getting married, so if they'd like, I'd  
be happy to officiate." The tall, friendly black minister takes a  
quiet sip of his tea.

"That would be great. You're sure you're okay with this?" CJ  
thinks Marci looks a little apprehensive, but Ted doesn't seem to be  
acting unnaturally.

Ted smiles with his pearly whites. "Of course. Two young adults  
have fallen in love and are welcoming a child into their lives. Sure  
it isn't under ideal circumstances, but it should be a joyous  
occasion. They have a long, difficult road ahead but I'm confident you  
two and the Lyman's have prepared them well."

"Oh, good," CJ sighs deeply. " We just wouldn't want the kids,  
especially Pat, to lose the friendships they have with your children.  
Pat is really close with Alexia and we don't want to interrupt that."

"Well, Pat is still welcome over here, but I think we'd feel more  
comfortable if our children didn't spend any time in your house  
anymore." Marci sits up straight and gazes seriously at CJ.

"What?" Danny practically shouts in disbelief at Marci's concern.

Shrugging, Marci turns to Danny. "Well Abbey and Noah will be  
living at your house, won't they? We wouldn't want our children to  
pick up any ideas from them. We wouldn't want them to think teenage  
marriage is some rosy love-fest."

Danny fixes Marci with an indignant state. "What exactly do you  
think is going on? Do you think we're in the corner cheering them on  
and encouraging them to have sex? We're not thrilled of the idea of  
raising married teenagers. But we don't exactly have a choice so we're  
trying to help them get their lives on track. We want their marriage  
to last and the only way that's gonna happen is if they have support  
in the beginning. We couldn't exactly throw them out and let them fend  
for themselves. So this is our plan, and if you can't deal with it and  
realize that CJ and I would never put your children in an unsafe  
environment, then I guess we'll just have to live with that. If  
you're uncomfortable with it, then suddenly I'm uncomfortable letting  
my son spend time here. Come on, CJ, let's get out of here." Danny  
stands up and his chair scrapes the floor.

"Danny," CJ grits between her teeth, pulling him by the arm back  
into his seat.

Turning his focus back to CJ, Danny explains. "I'm sorry. But I  
can't stand it if they think our daughter is a slut and that we have  
no morals that we transferred to her. We have plenty of morals, and I  
think if we lacked in that department we would've easily tossed her  
onto the street."

Ted shakes his head back and forth firmly. "We don't think you or  
your children have bad morals. In fact, it's a testament to just how  
faithful, good and kind you really are that you're tying to do what's  
right for your daughter and not what is simply convenient. Marci is  
just concerned that if it's made so easy for Abbey and Noah, then  
Mitch and Alexia might get the impression that it's a life they should  
pursue. But we know our children and we know that they understand that  
is probably not the best choice they can make for themselves. We know  
they'll recognize how truly hard it will be for Abbey and Noah."

"Exactly. I'm just worried, is all." Marci sighs in defeat,  
recognizing that she misspoke. "I'm sorry. I was too quick to judge.  
It's not any easy situation to cope with. Our kids have strong  
attachments to yours, and sadly, we just don't want them to follow in  
their footsteps."

CJ bobs her head in understanding. "Of course you don't. And  
neither do we, really. This isn't what we wished for for Abbey. But  
God has dealt us these cards and we have to play them as best we can.  
Things are changing so fast around here and we're just trying to keep  
our heads above water."

"So, between friends, is the water above your heads now?" Marci  
asks in honest sincerity.

"No, it's exactly at our heads," Danny replies solemnly.  
•


End file.
